African Schools Weigh Teaching in Local Languages
By: Abigael Chebet
Kenya’s new curriculum could boost the use of mother tongue especially as a tool for early child education. The use of local language on a child gives them a head start in their literacy and language learning.
Research findings by the UNESCO indicate that the use of local language is best sociologically, psychologically and educationally for children entering primary school.
The introduction of new curriculum in Kenyan schools is a methodology that is likely to affect the use of language as it is designed to build leaner capabilities by putting pupils at the center of learning activities.
Local language is a vital tool for primary school children as it acts as a resource for negotiating ideas with their teachers since they enroll using their mother tongue language.
The use of mother tongue in schools will make a great deal of sense especially in the rural area and other areas where the use of English language is inappropriate.
The introduction of the new curriculum has brought about publishing of new languages through the publication of literacy materials which might help to preserve local languages from extinction especially with the radical improvement of technology.
The new curriculum promotes the use of local languages as it gives the children the opportunity to acquire and develop their mother tongue language and also to improve early literacy in primary schools.In addition, it will make Kenya a multilingual nation making it a cohesive society where everybody is appreciated regardless of their ethnicity and language.
In conclusion, primary schools should therefore embrace the use of local dialect in schools especially among the children as designed by the new curriculum as it comes with more advantages that will propel our nation to a better ground in future.
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